The short answer
A Aviva ALFD that does nothing when you press start is usually stopped by its door switch, its supply or a thermal fuse that has opened because of a blocked vent. A dryer is an air machine before it is a heat machine, so the vent belongs at the top of almost every list it appears on. All three are checkable before any part is ordered.
What you observe on these models
- Nothing at all — no lights, no hum — A supply report.
- It starts only if the start button is held — A start switch or a relay that is not latching, which is a reachable part on most machines.
- The door light or interior lamp does not come on — A useful free test: no lamp usually means no supply, and a lamp with no start means the supply is fine.
- It stopped working right after a long cycle — That sequence points hard at a thermal fuse, which points in turn at the vent.
- NEAR MISS — it runs but does not heat — That is a heating fault and it is covered on its own page.
Causes, most likely first on ALFD
- The door switch — A dryer will not run with the door reading open, and the switch is the part that wears. Listen for the click as the door closes. Ranked first on Aviva ALFD because a dryer is an air machine before it is a heat machine, so the vent sits at the top of almost every list it appears on.
- Power at the machine — A dryer that is completely dead has a supply problem. On an electric machine losing one leg gives tumble without heat; losing both gives nothing at all.
- The thermal fuse — On many machines a blown thermal fuse stops everything, not just the heat, which is why a dead dryer so often traces back to a blocked vent.
- The start switch and the control — A start button that has to be held, or one that does nothing at all, is the second thing to check because it is reachable.
- The belt switch — Where fitted, a broken belt drops a switch that prevents the motor running, so a snapped belt presents as a machine that will not start. Last on this list, and the item that every cause above it can imitate exactly.
Check in this order, and why that order
- Open and close the door firmly and listen for the switch — The click is what the machine waits for. A switch that has to be helped is already failing.
- Check the supply at the breaker — A dryer is normally on its own circuit, so the room around it proves nothing. On an electric machine, both legs matter.
- Ask about the vent history — Clear the lint filter and then check that air is actually leaving the vent outside, because almost every heat complaint on a dryer begins there. A dead dryer that died after a long hot cycle is a blown thermal fuse until proven otherwise, and the vent is why.
- Listen for the motor attempting to turn — A hum with no rotation is mechanical or a belt switch; silence is electrical and belongs further up this list.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the dryer or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. If your model is a gas dryer and you smell gas: do not switch anything on or off, leave the building, and call the gas utility or 911 from outside — do not look for the leak yourself. Do not bypass a door switch or a thermal fuse to get a machine running.
Models this page covers — the ALFD family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| ALFD2780W | aviva:dryer:alfd |
When to call a technician
Call when the breaker is on, the door switch clicks, and the machine is still dead — at that point the thermal fuse, the start switch or the motor is the candidate and the back panel has to come off. Call immediately if there is a burning smell or the machine tripped protection as it stopped. On Aviva ALFD, if the machine died at the end of a long hot cycle, tell whoever attends: that history points straight at the vent and saves a diagnostic step. A note on scope: this page is written for the ALFD front-load dryer and for the one model number the variant table names. A sibling family from the same brand will have a different order.
Other problems covered for the ALFD family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
